Sunday Road Closures for Army Ten-Miler

You may have to alter Sunday morning driving plans if you plan to travel on some major roads near the Pentagon.

Tens of thousands of runners will be hitting the streets for the 27th Annual Army Ten-Miler race.

The race begins at 8 a.m. on Route 110 and ends in the Pentagon South Parking Lot, but some roads will be shut down as early as 5 a.m. They should all be reopened by noon.

The road closures and times:

5 a.m. to 3 p.m.:

There will be no access to Pentagon North Parking, Boundary Channel Drive, or the eastern portion of Pentagon South Parking (Pentagon employees will be able to access South Parking via Columbia Pike or South Fern Street).

5 a.m. to 12 p.m.:

Route 110 (northbound and southbound) will be closed from Rosslyn to Crystal City. The George Washington Parkway will remain open.

7 a.m. to 10 a.m.:

Access to Memorial Drive and the Memorial Bridge from Washington Boulevard (Route 27) will be closed.

7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

I-395 HOV lanes will close and open on a rolling schedule from the Eads Street ramp to DC

Parking is limited, so runners, spectators and support personnel are encouraged to use Metro. The Pentagon and Pentagon City stations on the Blue and Yellow Lines are located within walking distance of the start and finish lines. Metro will open early, at 6 a.m.

Let the griping begin. How dare all those people do 10 miles car-free.

Michael H.

Yeah, some people will always gripe if we can’t drive 24 hours a day on every single road.

Many of the runners and their friends and family visit from other cities. There are even many service personnel from overseas bases who make the Army Ten-Miler a destination race. If half of the runners are out-of-town visitors and they bring others to the race, that adds up to a huge economic boost for Arlington and DC, from hotel fees to several meals, transportation (Metro, taxis), last-minute running gear and entertainment. Depending on the exact number of people and the individual purchases, we could be talking about as much as $10 million in added spending in the Arlington/DC area because of the race.

Many local runners and athletes also run too. I’ve done many running races in the area over the past few years. I’ve found the Army Ten-Miler to be one of the best in terms of overall experience. Much better than the equally popular Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run (which also brings in an enormous amount of money for the local economy). While ATM doesn’t have the cherry blossoms, it does have a much better post-race festival. Tons of food and fun entertainment from various bands. Rock, R&B and other styles, all played by musicians who are also Army members. Pretty cool.

Even though I’m not in the Army myself, I liked seeing the camaraderie among all of the service members during and after the race. The ATM is a very big deal to many people in the Army. Great for improving morale. Many soldiers even participate in satellite races overseas, where the runners “race” a 10-miler at approximately the same time in Afghanistan, Iraq and at other bases.

I’m sure that the Marine Corps Marathon has a similar appeal for Marines. Both races are also popular among the civilian population. At least for those who aren’t complaining about some roads being closed on a Sunday morning. Even if people here aren’t participating, they can still come out to watch and cheer on the runners. If you support military personnel (whether you support the overseas wars or not), then show your support out on the course.